Oddly, all the Space Shuttle posters have disappeared at at time when one might think they were hot products, but they have now almost completely pared down availability of mission portraits to the ISS Expeditions.

Space Flight Awareness - OLD

The last time I checked these pages, STS-134 had just been featured, and discussions about the possibility about a further Shuttle mission STS-135 were underway! The rest is history.

Some shuttle mission photographs are available on their other links, but I can no longer find the official crew portraits unless I go to each individual "In Depth Mission Coverage" link within NASA's Shuttle Mission Index.

Space Flight Awareness - NEW

Interestingly, one used to have to scroll to the very end of a horrendously long page for high-resolution posters of entire Astronaut Corps in 2002, 2004 & 2007. These have been moved to the top, so I guess they aren't hiding them anymore!

Of course, ISS ExpeditionCrew photographs will continue onward, but it chokes one up to think the last Space Shuttle posters are off the grid, because they are now part of history.

My New Favorite

Anyhow, portraits always include the entire crew, mission insignia and many have a theme associated with their mission. Over the past few years, it's become rather a modern custom to associate some crews with popular movie posters – such as the Rat Pack, Reservoir Dogs, Ocean's 11, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, etc.

My All-Time Favorite

Perhaps the most treasured framed poster now in my home is the Expedition 16 poster, which used The Matrix as the crew theme. I'm more of a Trekkie than a Neo-phyte, but I thought this was such a great design, and Peggy Whitson (astronaut in a leather skirt alert!) is SO my hero.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Discovery had her #SpotTheShuttle trend, and my new pal from SpaceUpSF took me on a #SpotTheGeekStuff trip of our own!

With Pilot Rick!

So it's like this. I met this pilot on Twitter. No, really. We then met at a conference a few months later, whereupon he was kind enough to lend his flying expertise so we could enjoy all the great geek spots the Bay Area has to offer!

Rick @JetForMe had me report for nerd duty at Tradewinds Aviation at Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose, where I was introduced to my first Cessna. I know all the jaws of my longtime friends just collectively dropped because I agreed to get on a plane, given the lengths I go to in order to avoid ANY type of flying machine.

NASA Ames from the air...The National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC)(Fancy name for "Heap big wind tunnel where we test aircraft"!)

Let me just say that these planes don't climb high enough for me to experience ear pain or illness from pressure. I'll probably never be "comfortable" in the sky, but as I told Rick, I'm at the age where I've begun to believe that when you fear something, you should run toward it instead of away.

Well worth it! Flying all around NASA Ames and identifying the many historic buildings and test facilities was of particular interest. Of course, Hangar One is visible for miles all around, but on closer approach, I got a whole new appreciation for the Lunar Institute, Wind Tunnels used in aerodynamics research, NASA's newest green building known as Sustainability Base.

Called simply "The Dish" by locals, I was reminded I've never actually visited the darned thing on the ground. My next order of business should be seeking out some of these spots either for leggy or brainy exercise in the future.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A huge crowd welcomed Space Shuttle Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA this morning, including a new #NASASocial (formerly the #NASATweetup) and the largest collection of astronauts ever at any single event!

Hall of Famer Bo Bobko led the charge, as an impressive line of flight suits followed alongside the charred, flight-worn Discovery... and boy, does she ever look every bit her age and effort. Clean her up? Nah. Why should we? She should look like she's been to space and back 39 times!

Bo! And... um... wow, everyone ;)

The crowd frenzy actually began on Tuesday, when Shuttle Discovery left Kennedy Space Center atop her usual Boeing 747 carrier, setting Twitter afire for HOURS across five states with a #SpotTheShuttle trend! It was gratifying to see that and #Discovery trending for 4+ hours, as people of all ages watch our Grand Dame make her way to the nation's capital.

I nearly blew circuit breakers watching NASA TV, CNN, Facebook and Twitter all on different devices so I could keep up from the west coast! As ever, NASA events are worth it. The pilots satisfied the massive crowds at both their departure and arrival points with multiple flybys, and many circles so everyone could attempt photographs over the Washington monument, White House, Capitol building, and other meaningful landmarks.

AWESOME photo courtesy of Sean Gallagher(Imagine this being the view outside your office!)

As bizarre luck or charmed fate would have it, I went to high school in northern California with a chap named Sean Gallagher who works in an office building clearly overlooking the runway at Washington-Dulles International Airport where Discovery and her chauffeur finally touched down! And what a shot!

He allowed me to use this photograph even though I totally bailed on the last reunion. Thanks Sean, you rock!

We could now wall-paper the entire Smithsonian with the photos people have taken during her landing and at today's Welcome Discovery Festival, but it's the ones by my friends and fellow Spacetweeps that mean the most, so as much as I admire the fantastic photographers who work for the NASA archives, I want to point everyone toward the SNAPSHOT capturers, because public turnout has been stunning!

Best bet is to follow the #Discovery or #NASASocial hashtags to see all the spacetweep shuttle avalanches. Official accounts often re-tweeting visitor pictures are @NASASocial, @NASA and @airandspace.

So many images have been coming hard and fast over so many forms of social media, it's been impossible to keep up with the feeds, so at this point I just decided to put my feelings in writing, and will pick up again later on the events.

Enterprise left James S. McDonnell Space Hangar to come nose-to-nose with her younger sister this morning, whereupon the attendees were treated to astronaut introductions (15 of Discovery's 32 commanders were there!), speeches by Charles Bolden and John Glenn, and the final paperwork where Discovery was officially signed over from NASA to the Smithsonian.

And now you know where J.R.R. Tolkien got his inspiration for the territories around Hobbiton.

Renaissance techie Bill Arnett runs a delightful web site called NINE PLANETS, and while he inserted a graffiti-esque "8" to observe the demotion of Pluto, all his information about the original nine remains intact.

I'm partial to the tongue of the Cymry as it is part of my personal heritage, but this appendix lists popular, transitional and dead languages -- from Sumerian to Latin to Olde English to Icelandic to Farsi to French.

He also demonstrated how some of these terms evolved into the months of the year, and days of the week... Saturni... Saturn's Day... Saturday.

Had a great time going through all of these, and also googling some of the less obvious words that weren't related to Latin roots, only to find that many were separate names of deities, specific to the cultures in question. The best days are when I learn something new!

I also love how he added the fictional Klingon jargon toward the end. Again, Pluto has not been removed (though it seems people aren't in any tearing hurry to add Eris, Haumea or Makemake. Maybe soon!)

And for those of you uninterested in the random etymology of floating rocks 0.00000102529 or more light-years away, well... sorry. I do this sort of thing when I get bored. If it makes you feel any better, the rest of the week will be spent watching coverage of Shuttle Discovery traveling from KSC to DC! ;)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

So much going on, it's hard to keep up! As evidenced by the light writing this past month, and concentration on newer social media platforms, I've been exploring new events & new web sites, and making new friends. Of course, however, some annual events are not to be ignored... and over the next few days, we will be celebrating three of the most famous voyages in history!

Today is the anniversary of the first human orbit around planet Earth, completed by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12th, 1961 in a craft named Vostok 1. In 1962, the Soviet Union established День Космонавтики, or "Cosmonautics Day," to commemorate this amazing achievement.

Юрий Гагарин 1934 - 1968

Tonight, people on 7 continents in 50 countries will hold over 200 events to commemorate Yuri, so find the closest one to you at Yuri's Night Net!

You can also follow the @pillownaut twitter feed today for a #TriviaThursday series all about Yuri, his test pilot days, training for space, honors and awards, family and career! I did a lot of research on this one, so come join me! :)

John Young and Bob Crippen in 1981

Today is also the anniversary of the very first launch of the NASA Space Shuttle program, whereby the Orbiter Vehicle (OV-102) Columbia made its maiden flight precisely on the 20th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first space flight! Coincidence? Actually, yes.

STS-1 was scrubbed on the first launch attempt, then lifted off on the second attempt on April 12, 1981. Pilot Bob Crippen and commander John Young performed thorough checks of all the shuttle systems, recorded the orbiters "stresses" and overall performance, and returned to Earth safely, proving the space-worthiness of a craft that would take us to low Earth-orbit (LEO) for the next three decades.

Of course, these are the 51st and 31st anniversaries, probably seeming somewhat anti-climatic considering the 100th anniversary of the Titanic voyage is this weekend. We had some pretty good blowouts last year, so we won't impinge upon their commemorative solemnity. Take it, Titanic passengers. RIP.

Monday, April 9, 2012

You know how, every now and then, you just stumble across something smothered in EPIC AWESOME and you think, wow... this has been around awhile -- how did I miss it? It just happened to me this past weekend.

A new pal from Twitter sent me the link to a hilarious video featuring a "science comedian" ... what, what? How did this fly under my radar for so long? How did I miss this bandwagon? And why don't we have MORE science comedians?

And now that I am in the San Francisco Bay area, where he is also based, here's hoping I get a chance to see him perform live sometime soon! We should have booked him for SpaceUpSF!

He riffs on Amish.com (seriously), neutrino definitions, Thomas Edison, evolution, karma, space exploration and totally won me over straight into groupie status with his spots on one of my favorite writers, Philip K. Dick! His comedy contains a huge amount of educational information, so for a nerd like me, it's win-win. Funny AND Informative. I want him to do a rock star tour of elementary schools in the south.

Poor Science in Sci-Fi Movies

Brian has also been featured on (or in) Wired.com, Slashdot, the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, New York Times, Nature, Chemical & Engineering News (I'm thinking he's the only comedian there!) and Comedy Central.

Given how many of these I read regularly, I was just continually stunned as I poked around his press page, that I simply never saw him before. (Then again, I've also never seen "Titanic", so maybe this will be magic week for that, too.)

I freely admit, however, that I had never been to InsectPaparazzi.com, and may never have seen his bug photographs there.

Progression: Mothers nagging their children up the evolutionary ladder."Stand Up Straight! Don't drag your knuckles!"

The most notable new addition is "Venus Transit". Make sure you check into that one! The next transit of Venus in June will be the last of your lifetime!

Most are designed for iPhones, though many are compatible with iPad/iTouch. Those with pink text and asterisks* are specifically for Android. Click on each to see their creators, platforms, full descriptions and reviews... and note that a more formally tabled version of this guide is also available on pillownaut.com.

FREE! AstroTools*Hand-held Planetarium for the amateur astronomer, nice one for beginners.

FREE! Best of Astronomy*Scientific information, videos and books on any astronomy topic with features to make and share reports on origin of universe, solar system, galaxies, black holes, big bang theory, famous scientists, etc.

FREE!NASA Desert Rats* The Desert Research And Technology Studies virtual test site 3-D models with topography and satellite imagery to bring the Arizona analog environment to your device. Navigate avatars around base camp to see field tests of NASA hardware!

$1.99 PlanetFacts PlusCatalog of images and information about the bodies in the solar system, including dwarf planets, with maps to show scale.

$0.99 Planet NewAll planets of the solar system (including Pluto) moving around the sun, and also moon moving around Earth. Choose any date to see locations.

FREE! PlanetsPlanishere Sky 2-D and 3-D switchable program which shows the location and orbital paths of planets, Sun & Moon with visibility information for your location. Constellations in the backdrop.

$0.99 PlanisphereShows zoomable sky above the phone or for any location; shows rise & set times, and star constellations.

FREE!Three-D (3D) Sun* Sun model based on NASA's STEREO spacecraft images with alerts for major updates or events such as solar flares.

FREE! Three-D (3D) SunSun model based on NASA's STEREO spacecraft images with alerts for major updates or events such as solar flares.

$2.99 Venus Atlas3-D globe of Venus with 2000+ surface features; also shows the phase of Venus from your location.

FREE! Venus TransitA transit of Venus occurs THIS YEAR on June 5–6, and it will be the last of your lifetime.

$0.99 What's UpBasic beginner app that shows location of Sun, Moon, and planets in the sky.

FREE! Where Is Io* Current positions of the Galilean moons, rise and set times for planets, and information about solar system objects.

FREE! Where The ISS At? Current positions of the International Space Station, and passes over your refreshable location for the next 10 days. Set Twitter-friendly notifications to be alerted when the ISS is about to cross.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I finally attended my first SpaceUp, and on my own home turf! Snoopy Dance!

The now infamous form of "SpaceUp Unconference" in the space enthusiast community, founded in San Diego by Chris Radcliffe, has blasted off in six cities. SpaceUp events are now planned in six more cities in both the US and Canada... and there are rumblings of planning a SpacepUp gathering in Europe, though a precise location has yet to be determined.

I ran into some old friends, met some new friends, and mingled with pilots, astronomers, software engineers, inventors, writers, reporters, various other NASA worker bees, and all the eclectic fruit salad that *is* the joy of Silicon Valley! I continually cannot believe what stuff costs in California after such a long absence, but sometimes it truly is great to be home again.

There are no spectators at SpaceUp, only participants.Put a topic on the Session Grid!

The large turnout was well-fed, well-read, and well-spread out into four "pods" or discussion rooms, where our lively talks were each broadcast live compliments of SpaceVidCast.

The Session Grid setup worked well for the large turnout, and in between bouts of enjoying the amazing catering services, we debated STEM concerns, CubeSats, planetary science, Mars research, Space Tourism, the NASA budget, space agencies of other nations, space payloads, Bloons, and the anticipated NASA Socials, which will take over for what was previously known as NASA Tweetups.

One of my favorite parts was the round of "T Minus 5" talks. These whirlwind presentations, conducted by many brave speakers, have a particular Ignite format used at all SpaceUps:- 5 Minute Limit- 20 Slides- Rotating automatically every 15 seconds

After seeing the format, and the supportive nature of the crowd, I really want to create my own T-5 Talk for the next UNconference I attend!

Cosmobot!

When we had enough of intellectual pursuits and it was time to party -- well, all I can say is, it's great to have engineers around to build cocktail robots! Enter the CosmoBot...

Monday, April 2, 2012

I always love it when I can check off another place on my World Map of Space Museums, and this past month I visited two! The amazing Heureka Planetarium in Helsinki, Finland is a bit too dark for photographs, but pictures are much easier at the Chabot Space & Science Center, nestled among the redwood trees of the Oakland hills!

Rex Walheim with Flat Stanely...hey, I saw that guy take-off!

Lucky me, I got to hear an STS-135 astronaut speak about the final Shuttle mission, and he just happens to be our California homeboy from Redwood City. Well, just about every city in my area of California is packed with redwoods, and I love that Rex J. Walheim grew up only a short drive from where I myself did.

The Beyond Blastoffexhibit at Chabot is definitely worth a visit, to learn about exercising in space, working in weightlessness, and space food, including menus and samples of current space station fare. Unlike other American museums that showcase NASA items, Chabot also features many comparative technologies of the Russian Soviet space program.

Soyuz Module Flown in the 1980s

I had only ever seen a Vostok capsule once in Texas, and of course the Soyuz mock-up in the SVMF at Johnson Space Center –- but this was my first look at a space-flown Soyuz Descent Module, the model in use since the 1960s. I've always found these to be quite fascinating, given their differences to American capsules.

Parachutes (sadly not present in this display) slow the module fall when it returns to Earth from space, but unlike the Apollo crafts which landed in water, small rockets fire to soften the impact just prior to landing, and the Soyuz bumps down on hard ground, usually in remote areas of Kazakhstan.

Sokol suit of Léopold Eyhart from his 1998 mission to Mir

Of course, one Soyuz module is always attached to the ISS these days for "escape hatch" purposes, though thankfully a bit more upgraded than the museum pieces!

Chabot also features a replica of the Sputnik 2 "dog cabin" which housed little Laika on her trip to space in 1957, a complete Orlan DMA Extra-Vehicular Activity space suit manufactured in 1996, and a Russian Sokol KV-2 space suit, which all cosmonauts still wear on each mission, to protect them from cabin pressure changes during launches and landings.

Mercury Capsule (1961-1963)

Last but not least, and the most fun for little me -– and it does help to be LITTLE in this case – is the Mercury Capsule mock-up! I've seen many of those that have flown, but never a mockup that one could sit inside! And I see now why John Glenn(?) quipped that "you don't ride in the Mercury spacecraft, you WEAR it."

The complete picture set is in my Chabot Album in the Pillownaut Gallery on Google Picasa!